13 December 2015

What if Yochanon HaMaccabee was Captured by the Greeks, and One by One his Sons Thrown Into Jail and Forgotten?

The soft quiet rain brings a respite on the Land of Israel, from the festivities and afflictions celebrated in our cities and villages. Over a cup of contemplative coffee, the steaming aroma enters the spiritual senses and fills the body with calm.

Allowing thoughts to drift through a prism . . .

Reflections on Chanukah and Israel

There is so much to appreciate and be grateful for about the re-establishment of our Homeland of Eretz Yisrael, but at the same time there is much that can be corrected to really reflect the Homeland of the Jews. Chesed and Tzedaka should be made paramount, to improve the lives suffering from poverty and illness in Israel. No Israeli, adult and child, should be living in poverty. Are we not a People of Gemilus Chasadim. The halls of law and justice could be revised to reflect the collective will of the People of Israel, and not a one-sided leftist manifesto thrust onto all of Israel. Sensitivity to and observance of the laws that G–D gave us to live in the Land bequeathed to us Jews and to shine a light of G-dliness out to the rest of the world so badly in need of repair. The unnecessary groveling to the Nations of the World to accept the Jews. We are a "People to dwell alone". Alone in our uniqueness as the surviving generations of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov, who will IY"H witness the revelation of our Moshiach Tzidkeinu.

A Modern Maccabee

A spark of Yochanan HaMaccabee sits in detention for something the secular (greek) government is trying to spin into accusation and guilt. “In the State of Israel today we have leaders who do not understand the Torah and no one dares explain to them what a true Jewish state looks like, why the Jewish people to the land of Israel, and what right the Jewish people have to the land. Not only are we victims of this unfortunate situation[….] All of us are captives of this reality. Each of us has a G-dly soul that wants to live a Jewish life and we all feel alone in our opposition [….]”

Opposition

The town of ***Kokhav Hashahar in Samaria (held) a protestSaturday night against the general security service's attempt to "frame" citizens, over the lethal Duma arson …. calling on Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon to stop harassing Jews out of frustration at not finding the perpetrators behind the Duma arson.

"Someone appointed to the investigation gives himself permission to crudely and arrogantly call a rabbi and heads of a community 'terror collaborators,' 'supporters of terrorists,'" they complained. Attacking the statements, they said of Kokhav Hashahar that it is "a community that just several months ago mourned Malachi Rosenfeld – and he is the latest of four victims in the past decade; a community with two residents who received an honorary citation in Operation Protective Edge; whose high school yeshiva that is taught by residents of the community is in third place in terms of enlistment to the (IDF) combat units.”

"This is a staining of us all. Of all lovers of the land. Of every combat soldier. Of every Zionist and every settler. Of every citizen. This is a strategic and existential threat to the strength of Israeli society. To the joint service in the IDF. To the friendship, camaraderie and mutual involvement," they said regarding the statements and shocking arrests.

"We will not let this loss of values pass by, which if it does not stop will drag us all into a whirlwind of madness. In the name of defending all those dear to us, I ask you personally to take part in the efforts to clean this stain,"

[….] the Jewish people were chosen to be a nation of priests and a holy people in the land of Israel. So what is this ‘Kingdom of Israel’? For 2000 years in exile, Jews around the world said in their prayers “Let me witness the return to Zion” and concluded with the words, “blessed is He who restores His glory to Zion.” These Jews did not merely want to return to the land of Israel to build fields and buildings. They wanted more. They wanted to restore G-d’s presence in the land by creating a state that would spread the name of G-d throughout the world.”

The Megillah of Antiochus**. The Scroll of Antiochus was read publicly in Italian synagogues during the 13th century, and is read in some congregations to this day. The Megillah is an account of the struggle against Greek oppression and the miracle of the oil burning for eight days which closely parallels other historic accounts.

Yochanan son of Mattisyahu heard that such a foul deed had been done (desecration of the Temple), […] He contemplated what was to be done

When the five sons of Mattisyahu heard all this they rose up and came to Mitzpe Gilad where dwelt the remnants of the Jews from the days of *Shmuel the Prophet. [….] And their father [in Heaven] blessed them before he sent them off to war, saying: Yehuda, my son, compare you to Yehuda son of Yaakov, who was compared to a lion. Shimon, my son, I compare you to Shimon son of Yaakov, who killed the people of Shechem. Yochanon my son, I compare you to Avner son of Ner, general of Israel’s army. Yonason my son, I compare you to Yonason son of Shaul who killed the P’lishtim. Elozor, my son, I compare you to Pinchas son of ELozor, who was zealous for his G–D, and saved the Jewish People.

Antiochus sent for the wicked Bagris, deceiver of his people [Captain of Defensives]. Antiochus, “let us go up against them and destroy the covenant their G–D has made with them. And they were betrayed to Bagris, causing Bagris to send armed men.

You are one of the rebels who have rebelled against the king [the courts] and do not desire the well-being of the kingdom [secular government].

“We remember what we were commanded on Mount Sinai: Shabbos, Rosh Chodesh, and Circumcism.” After this, the five sons of Mattisyahu–Yochanon and his four brothers went forth and made war with the people – for they trusted the G–D of Heaven.

The Greeks, Antiochus and Bagris, were not victorious. And this is why we remember each year the war fought which restored the Temple, sacrifices, one cruse of holy olive oil, and the lighting of the Menorah, which strengthened the religious observance of the Jews, and is celebrated from then until today, through the lighting of olive oil in our Menorahs each 25th of Kislev.

"...thus said Hashem: Even the captive of the strong can be taken back, and the prey of the mighty can escape; I, Myself, will take up your cause, and I, Myself, will save your children. And I will feed your oppressors their own flesh...." (Haftarah, Parshat Eikev)

__________Village dated to Maccabaeus Period
*Kever Shmuel HaNavi (Nebi Samwil) is located on a hill (908 m. above sea level), some 5 km north of Jerusalem. It controls the roads leading to the city from the north: the road from the Coastal Plain in the west and that from Samaria to the north of Jerusalem. […. ]

“The archaeological excavation have identified a Biblical city at the site[….] There are some tombs located around the hill which are dated to the first-temple period.” On the east side of Nebi Samuel, the archaeologists reconstructed a well preserved section of a village dated to the Hasmonean/ Maccabaeus period (2nd-1st c BCE). Kever Shmuel HaNavi, A tour by Reb Akiva of MysticalPaths.com

____________Where is Kochav HaShachar
**Kochav HaShachar, situated within half-an-hour drive of Jerusalem, overlooks the Judean Desert, the Dead Sea, and the Shomron and Jordan mountain ranges.

Chanukah is a reminder that Obama's war on Jerusalem was preceded long before him by Antiochus's war on Jerusalem. It is a brief light in a period of great darkness.

The great irony of Chanukah is that those likeliest to strip away its historical and religious meaning would have been fighting against the Macabees. The battle to preserve the meaning of Chanukah is part of the struggle to preserve the Jewish traditions and culture that the left attacks.

For those liberals who believe that Jewish identity should be limited to donating to help Haiti, agitating for illegal aliens and promoting the environment; Chanukah is a threatening holiday. They have secularized it, dressed it up with teddy bears and toys, trimmed it with the ecology and civil rights of their new faith. Occasionally a Jewish liberal learns the history of it and writes an outraged essay about nationalism and militarism, but mostly they are content to bury it in the same dark cellar that they store the rest of the history of their people and the culture that they left behind.

Bloggers I Follow

Ein Od Milvado

LIVING in Eretz Israel is the equivalent of all the Mitzvot of the Torah (Sifri, Parashat Re'eh, TOSEFTA, AVODA ZARA 5:2)

Fortunate is he who merits in his life to FIX HIS RESIDENCE in Eretz HaKodesh (Zohar Hakadosh Iii 72b) and remove from your heart this false belief that a man has more blessings outside the land (Alshich Hakadosh, Ki Tavo 28:6)